James b



J. B, ALLPREE.

MMETALLIG OONVEYER.

No. 505,806. Patented Oct. 3,1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES B. ALLFREE, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

METALLIC CONVEYER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,806, dated October 3, 1893.

Application filed November 30, 1892. Serial No. 453,661. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JAMES B. ALLFREE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, in the county of Marion and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful improvements in Metallic Conveyors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in metallic conveyers, and consists in a new and improved method and means for securing the various consecutive sections of flights, blades, or helices of which the conveyor is composed, to form a continuous helix and the joints of which are so constructed as not to present an abrupt ridge or obstruction on its surface.

The object of my invention is to provide a simple, cheap and durable means whereby the consecutive sections of thehelices will be securely united at their ends, and joined in such a manner as not to present an abrupt or broken surface to the material to be conveyed, and a means for securing said sections of the A helices or flights to their cylindrical shaft also to provide means by which the said flights are secured to the shaft without perforating the same with apertures for receiving their securing bolts. I attain these objects by means of the construction of metallic conveyer illustrated in the accompanying drawings in which similar numbers of reference designate like parts throughout the several views in which- Figure 1, is a side view showing a portion of a helical metallic conveyer and the shaft to which it is secured firmly. Fig. 2. is an end and a plan view of one of the flights showing the manner of connecting the ends of the same to form a continuous helix. Fig. 3 is a plan View of the securing clip for holding and clamping the helix to the shaft. Fig. 4 is a development of a portion of a sheet of metal from which the helix is cut showing the form of the metal previous to bending it to conform with the section of a helix. Fig. 5. is a perspective view of the helix formed from a sheet of metal similar to that shown in Fig. 4 but slit upon one side only, so that the blade is of twice the length of each of the two blades shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Fig. 6. is a view showing the manner of applying the ends of the flights together to form a joint.

The flights or the helical blades of the conveyer are composed of sections out from wrought iron or other metallic sheets in the form of an annulus. (See particularly Fig. 4.) The annulus is then cut or sheared radially to form the ends 2, 3, 4, and 5. which cut permits the ends 2, 3, 4, and 5. to be bent in opposite directions to form said annulus throughout its surface to comform with the surface of a helix. of the annuli are slotted or sheared to separate and equally or nearly so divide them into inner and outer sections or tongues2 and 3, 4 and .5. by means of which the ends of the next consecutive section are united to or interlocked to form a helix having an unbroken working surface, which I will now proceed to describe.

The ends of the sections of the helices are placed with their slots coinciding and their planes at right angles to each other and all of the sections to be united are pushed toward each other to cause the tongues to interlock or to cause the ends 2, 8, 4, and 5. to telescope (see (See Fig. 5.) The ends- Fig. 6). till each of the slots have their ends 6 and 7'. contacting (see Fig. 2) after which said sections are turned, in the direction of the arrows shown in Fig. 6. till their surfaces contact and till the rivet or bolt holes of the opposite ends of the section coincide, through which holes a suitable rivet or bolt passes which retains the sections of the helix in position. The flights are preferably secured on a hollow cylindrical shaft 9. by means of the clips 10. which surround and clamp said shaft 9. at intervals and said clamps are provided with the opposite engaging lugs 11. and 12. formed integral thereon at the slotted portion of said clips for the purpose of gripping or engaging the opposite sides of the helix or flight of the conveyer by which means the latter are held firmly in their proper position relative to the shaft by a suitable securing bolt passing through said lugs and said flight. The slot 20 is cut through the hub of the clip 10 between the lugs 11 and 12, and the same bolt 21 which secures the flights to the lugs also clamps the hub of the clip on the driving shaft. Thus it will be seen that the usual eye securing bolts for holding the fights firmly to its shaft have been dispensed with and the necessary perforations of the shaft havebeen avoided which greatly reduces its strength.

ICO

- Intermediate and end journals are readily applied and secured to the conveyer shafts by reducing the-ends thereof to an internal diameter capable of neatly fitting the commercial or standard size of shaf tin g and thereby avoiding the additional Work of reducing a larger size of shaft to the size required to lit the bore of the hollow shaft which is asource of expense. The journal 13 may be more securely fastened by providing a pin 14 to be driven through a hole formed in and passing through said journal shaft and shaft of conveyer to prevent the latter from turning or losing motion by turning on its trunnion.

I am aware that prior to my invention a series of metallic helices or flights formed from metallic sheets and mounted on cylindrical shafts have been used. This I do not claim broadly as my invention; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to cover by Letters Patent of the United States therefor, is

In a conveyer, the combination,with a driving shaft, of the flights having interlocking ends, a clip having a diagonally slotted hub and lugs projecting therefrom, one on each side of the slot, and the bolt passing through the said lugs and through the interlocked ends of the flights, and operating to secure the flights and to clamp the clip to the shaft, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES B. ALLFREE.

Witnesses:

THOMPSON R. BELL, E. B. HETZEL. 

